Wedding Etiquette: The Dos + Don’ts of Bringing a Plus-One

Zooey Deschanel And Jonathan Scott's Full Relationship Timeline

Zooey Deschanel And Jonathan Scott Meet During Carpool Karaoke In 2019

Zooey Deschanel and Jonathan Scott first met in 2019 when they filmed an episode of Carpool Karaoke with Jonathan's brother Drew Scott and Zooey's sister Emily Deschanel — the video includes both a rendition of "Baby It's Cold Outside" (which Zooey sings in the 2003 holiday classic Elf), and Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time" — and the couple went on their first date in an escape room.

“I am seeing someone,” Scott told Us in September 2019. “It’s definitely special for me because I am the guy who raises the bar in what I’m looking for in a partner. I was caught a little off guard. It was definitely a pleasant surprise.”

Zooey Deschanel And Jonathan Scott Become Instagram Official In 2019

Zooey and Jonathan posted the same photo of their time at Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights to their Instagram accounts. In People's October 2023 cover story, Zooey and Jonathan talk about the initial reaction to their relationship, after Zooey posted their first picture as a couple.

“I remember I looked at it and I saw the first comment right below was, ‘Why the hell is she with a Property Brother?!’" Jonathan says in the interview. "I was like, ‘Excuse me—rude!'" “Why wouldn’t I be with you?” Zooey adds. “Our personalities are so compatible. It’s just that we’re from different worlds.”

Zooey Deschanel And Jonathan Scott Make Their Red Carpet Debut

After attending Jonathan's older brother J.D.'s Halloween-themed wedding as Batman and Catwoman, Zooey Deschanel and Jonathan Scott made their red carpet debut at the Critic's Choice Documentary Awards.

The Couple Quarantines Together In March 2020

After the world shut down in March 2020 because of COVID-19, Jonathan Scott posted photos of the couple hanging out at home.

"Don’t let our smiles fool you, we both play to win!" the post (which includes photos of Zooey Deschanel and Jonathan Scott playing Scrabble) reads. "How are you spending your time as we all stay #hometogether? @zooeydeschanel and I have been playing games, making music, and of course doing puzzles."

Zooey Deschanel Appears On Jonathan Scott's "Celebrity IOU"

This special episode of Celebrity IOU features Zooey Deschanel and Jonathan Scott surprising Zooey's BFF Sarah with a brand new home renovation. So not only was it the perfect opportunity to see Zooey and Jonathan work together, but it also allowed Zooey to give her friend a really beautiful gift!

Zooey Deschanel And Jonathan Scott Buy A Home Together In 2021

In an essay for Drew & Jonathan, Jonathan Scott talks about buying a home with the actress.

"It sat on a little over an acre, and with its lush lawn and massive California sycamores, it looked like a park. Which is why when we first brought the kids by the property they dubbed it the Park House," he says in the essay. "And you know what happens when you name something, whether it’s a mangy stray dog or a beautiful home of your dreams? You keep it."

The couple ended up revealing photos of their renovated home on Drew & Jonthan in 2022! The balance of pattern, color, and detail is really exciting, and it gives the whole home a very balanced look.

Zooey Deschanel And Jonathan Scott Get Engaged In August 2023

"Forever starts now!!! 🥰♾️🥰," they captioned the Instagram post. In the photo, Zooey's holding up her left hand to show off a beautiful purple floral engagement ring. It's unique, colorful, and drop dead gorgeous, which feels like a perfect fit for the actress and singer. Jonathan also revealed he involved Zooey's kids in the process and was a "blubbering mess" when it came time to pop the question.

Zooey's also had a big year with projects like Dreamin' Wild, What Am I Eating? and Trolls Band Together. Meanwhile Jonathan has a variety of Property Brothers home renovation shows with his brother Drew like Brother vs. Brother and Celebrity IOU. Looks like they're adding wedding planning to their to-do list!

After announcing their engagement, the couple made another joint post about a trip to Paris. If you ask us, the city of love is the perfect place to celebrate an engagement! "Amour de ma vie ❤️," they captioned the post. Zooey's bright blue jacket, plus her floral scarf and sunglasses are the perfect dopamine-inducing mix of quirky and feminine (with an extra edge from a black leather jacket).

Jonathan Scott Talks About Zooey's Kids

Property Brother star Jonathan Scott is always talking about how much he loves Zooey Deschanel's kids. Whether it be how sweet Zooey's daughter Elsie is, how much he loves vacationing together, or how much he enjoys the day to day. Jonathan talked to TODAY in 2023 about his role in co-parenting with Zooey and her ex-husband Jacob Pechenik: "You see your life transform, your priorities become your kids, and when they have a performance that they're doing at school, or working on some of their homework, or whatever it might be, it's a joy."

Jonathan Scott Teases His Wedding Date In April 2024

In honor of the "once in a lifetime" eclipse on April 8, 2024, Jonathan Scott posted a hilarious video teasing when and where he's marrying Zooey Deschanel with a bunch of cue cards (you know, Love, Actually style). “As the full eclipse is a ‘once in a lifetime’ moment, I wanted to take this opportunity to give you some ‘once in a lifetime’ news," the cards read. “I’ve decided to share when and where Zooey & I are getting married."

But right when he's about to show the date and time, the "eclipse" causes a shadow to fall over both Jonathan and the cue cards. He finished the video with a wink and a card that reads, “Which I know you’ll agree is perfect.”

1. RSVP "no" early

As soon as you receive an invitation, you probably have an idea of whether or not you can or want to attend. Decline ASAP so the host has an opportunity to invite someone else, get a refund on your seat, and plan accordingly. Plus, you don’t want to carry the burden of accepting and dreading the event for weeks. It’s way more emotionally draining, and confusing for the host.

If you do want to attend, but are unsure if you can, check your calendar and let the host know your circumstances. Perhaps your sister is expecting her first baby around the same time as your college roommate’s wedding. Reach out to your friend directly and let them know that you may be able to come, or would like to come, but it’s dependent on another important factor.

Chances are, the host will respect and appreciate your honesty. And remember: for big events like weddings, guests = money, so giving the hosts as much time as possible to make adjustments before their event is imperative.

2. You don't have to explain yourself

This is a bit contradictory to what we just said, but if it’s not an up-in-the-air type of situation, you can just say “no.” Plain and simple. Hosts don’t need a laundry list of reasons you can’t go, and you don’t need to share yours.

3. Declining is *actually* quite respectful

Responding to someone, whether it’s an enthusiastic “yes” or a “no,” is way better than not responding at all – or worse, canceling at the last minute. It shows that you care enough about the person to give them an answer, and that your friendship allows for open communication. With anyone in your life, you should be allowed to ask for what you want, and what you need. If you can’t do this for yourself, do it for Future You.

4. Don't make up excuses

It’s just a no-no. If you fabricate an excuse, it can lead to way worse (and certainly more awkward) situations. For example, if you say you can’t go deep sea fishing this Saturday (when it’s really about not wanting to fish), the person might ask you to go with them another time, evidently putting you on the hook (pun VERY intended) for future excursions.

Alternatively, if you opt for blowing them off and they find out, they’ll probably feel worse and assume your response was personal to them. Whether or not that’s true is besides the point.

Being a bit more honest always goes a long way. Oh, and BTW, refusing an invitation isn’t that deep! Truly. It’s literally fine.

5. How to say "no"

Saying no is all about what you say and how you say it. Aim for a warm, neutral and matter-of-fact tone paired with a short, candid response. Don’t beg for forgiveness (and TBH if you have to do this, they’re probably not a great friend in the first place), give them a vague reason as to why you can’t go, or get defensive if they have questions. Repeat after us: saying no is normal!

BTW – by declining an invite you have to allow others to do the same. So if someone declines an invitation to your birthday party (which we know will be totally amazing), it’s OK.

As a Power of Women honoree, Mariska was recognized in regards to her work as an advocate for sexual assault survivors. She took the stage and used her platform to discuss rape and assault conviction reversals, shining a light on the recent overturned ruling in Harvey Weinstein's landmark NYC case. Here's what she said:

Today I want to talk about reversing convictions, and more specifically I want to talk to you about how impossible it is to reverse mine. It’s impossible to reverse my conviction that survivors matter. It is impossible to reverse my conviction that what happens to us matters, and that our society must respond to survivors with a more a compassionate, holistically, deeper, and more nuanced understanding of what healing means.

It is impossible to reverse my conviction that after a trauma, survivors can reclaim lives of hope, of possibility, of audacious risk, beautiful intimacy, and glorious, glorious abundant joy. And I stand before you as evidence of that statement.

It is impossible to reverse my conviction that we must listen to survivors as experts on what justice means. It is extraordinary how little their voices are consulted, let alone incorporated, in the process of deciding how to repair harm. Justice is not a one-size-fits-all journey.

It is impossible to reverse my conviction that patriarchal impunity has to end. Patriarchal impunity is when a male-dominated system exempts perpetrators from punishment. Studies show that only 20% of all rape cases in the U.S. are reported to the police, and that between 5 and 0% of all rapes result in a guilty plea or a conviction. So why do 80% of victims not report? Because they're met with a system that grants impunity to perpetrators; a system that blames victims; a system that accepts only those victims who are experienced as "real" rape; a system that completely misunderstands the neurobiology of trauma, which causes behavior in women that doesn't fit the picture of how a "real victim" would act.

Is that change needed that victims should just pull themselves together? Just buck up and report anyway? No. No, it's the system that receives them that needs to change

It is impossible to reverse my conviction — and the conviction of my extraordinary team, The Joyful Heart — that the backlog of untested rape kits can be brought to zero; that the testing of all new kits must be mandated; that we need a statewide kit tracking system; and that survivors have the right to access the status of their kits.

It is impossible to reverse my conviction that grammar — yes, grammar — that we use when we speak about rape must change. In the sentence, "A woman is raped," there's a crime and there's a victim, but there's no perpetrator. Where's the perpetrator? Where is he? Statistically, as we know, most likely he's walking free. He's so free that he doesn't even appear in the language about the crime that he committed. Is that not extraordinary? It's extraordinary that in the very grammar, the perpetrator goes free. Reintroducing perpetrators in the language of rape will make some very unwieldy grammar, but that's the nature of change. It's unwieldy, it's messy, it's uncomfortable, but it's necessary.

Hargitay continued on in her prolific speech to describe that rape shouldn't be considered a "crime of passion" because it's "not simply the next step in the trajectory of his passion" when a man takes a consensual hookup too far and assaults a woman against her will. She stated that it's "an exercise of power," doubling down that the language we use is important.

The speech went on to address that rape is both about power and control, as a "construct" that was "built, and assembled, and reinforced over time." She noted that there are people with these positions of power — and she specifically called out those in the entertainment industry — that could make a difference and aligned themselves to victims and survivors.

After this and some other remarks, Hargitay specifically called out the Weinstein conviction reversal. She said:

I do want to say something about the Harvey Weinstein conviction, specifically about the reason that it was overturned: too many women's voices. Too many women's voices were allowed to speak. Hallelujah! Amen! I can't imagine anything more beautiful than that. The Daily podcast episode talked about how it was so risky for the prosecution to have that many women testify. Risky to let women speak? You're damn right it is!

Too many women speaking brings change. Too many women speaking shakes the establishment. Too many women means we get listened to more, and people might actually hear what we have to say. Look what happened when women started saying just two words, right? Me too — just as an example — a tidal wave of change. Me too.

And then of course, there was the response: the Me Too Movement. The backlash. The examination of whether the changes that have come are lasting, or are even positive. Of course there's a backlash! What did they expect? For women to speak repeatedly, loudly, together, with a purpose — for there to be no backlash? The backlash is evidence of how powerful those voices were, how powerful those voices ARE.

Watch Mariska Hargitay's Full Speech Here

Turns out that your TV heroes really can be your IRL heroes after all. Long live Olivia Benson! Long live Mariska Hargitay!